Multi-Housing Ministries, Louisiana

“II Corinthians 5:17-18 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.  Now everything is from God, who reconciled Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

The command to share the Gospel with all the lost is leading several churches and groups to reach out to those living in multi-housing areas.  This group is one of the largest unreached peoples in America today with surveys concluding that 95% of multi-family dwellers do not go to church anywhere.

Through small-group Bible studies in apartment complexes, prayer walks, prayer groups, mentoring and moving assistance, this need is being met in Louisiana.  Prayer walks in the Shreveport/Bossier City area have opened doors for ministry, working relationships with property management and evangelistic presentations on the street.

Ministry in Lafayette, through “ServnLove,” has helped to discover needs of people “living in the gaps.”  ServnLove has established three Bible studies and a mentoring program for widows.

Remember to pray for:

• apartment managers to be receptive to ministry on their properties;
• volunteers to be part of the ministry through weekly Bible studies;
• God’s continued strengthening of ministry leaders;
• sponsoring associations; and
• creative entries into the lives of families living in multi-family housing areas.

Our Georgia Barnette State Missions Offering makes it possible to work where it counts in multi-family housing areas.

Thought for the Day by Alan Smith

Lostness

A golfer, playing a round by himself, is about to tee off, and a greasy little salesman runs up to him, and yells, “Wait! Before you tee off, I have something really amazing to show you!”

The golfer, annoyed, says, “What is it?”

“It’s a special golf ball,” says the salesman. “You can never lose it!”

“Whattaya mean,” scoffs the golfer, “you can never lose it? What if you hit it into the water?”

“No problem,” says the salesman. “It floats, and it detects where the shore is, and spins towards it.”

“Well, what if you hit it into the woods?”

“Easy,” says the salesman. “It emits a beeping sound, and you can find it with your eyes closed.”

“Okay,” says the golfer, impressed. “But what if your round goes late and it gets dark?”

“No problem, sir, this golf ball glows in the dark! I’m telling you, you can never lose this golf ball!”

The golfer buys it at once. “Just one question,” he says to the salesman. “Where did you get it?”

“I found it!”

Maybe someday someone will invent a golf ball that can never be lost, but until then we will all have to deal with losing things — golf balls, car keys, glasses, etc. We also have to deal with a lost humanity. I find it interesting that the one term Jesus used most often to describe those who are outside of Christ is the word “lost”.

In Luke 15, Jesus elaborated on this idea by telling three parables — the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the lost (prodigal) son. The point has often been made that those three parables demonstrate three different ways of being lost — through unintentional wandering (the sheep), through the negligence of someone else (the coin), or through willful disobedience (the son).

However, the point of those three parables is not so much about our lostness as they are about the fact that our God is willing to search for us and bring us back into a relationship with Him. If we will truly see the world around us as “lost”, it will change our perspective as well. Think about the last time you knew of a child that was missing. When a child is lost, we don’t ask what race the child is. It doesn’t matter — the child is lost! We don’t ask the child’s economic status. It doesn’t matter — the child is lost! We don’t ask what the child may or may not have done wrong. It doesn’t matter — the child is lost! All that matters is that we find that child and bring him/her home safely.

Seeing a world around us as “lost” will change the way we see them. The scribes and Pharisees looked at the tax collectors and sinners and saw terrible, ugly people. Jesus saw people who were lost. All that mattered to him was that he bring them home safely.

“For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Father, thank you for diligently searching for me and for bringing me home to you. Fill me with your love so that I may care enough to seek out those around me who are lost. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

Alan Smith has a special way of “opening my eyes” through scriptures I’m already familiar with.  What a blessing his devotional have been to me!

Have a marvelous Monday!

Anna Lee